Valley
by Ardianna Keeper
Summary: The War ended on Cybertron and the Autobots scattered to the stars. Many ended up on Earth and were meant with dislike and disdain; the human population grew fearful and hateful of there new guests and rejected them from society. The Autobot's moved forward and created Pretender technology; now they live among us, unseen living there own lives.


**I guess this requires some explanation; I was really disappointed that they killed of Optimus in Predicons Rising and it kinda stuck around in my mind. So one very strange dream later this was born. I have never done anything like this before, so I'll be really leaning on you guys for your opinions. This will be much slower paced then my usual stories; I find reading this slowly and visualize the place really adds to the effect. So please give this a shot and let me know what you think. This is very much a what if story; Oh and this is really really AU. One more thing, I seriously thought about putting this in the M section for future content. But I'm not sure if I will need to, so if I do anything that makes anyone uncomfortable or the T section, let me know. Edited!**

**Chapter 1**

When Cybertronains first came to earth they were meet with disdain. They fought no epic battle, were not a divided people. The Autobots had lost the war and scattered across the universe. Earth was a habitable planet that many Autobots congregated on; their leader, Optimus Prime, tried to create a treaty with the United Nations. It failed and the Autobots went into hiding.

Technology like Mass Shifters and Pretenders soon came into being. Until Shockwave came, the most damaging thing he did was force the Autobots into open combat. He set the example of how a Cybertronain could be, and somehow over the years, people started to believe that all Cybertronains were like him.

The Autobot's disappeared again, save a few brutal conflicts with many dead humans and injured Cybertronains. So they became monsters in the human eye, driven underground and out of sight. Overtime, the Autobot forces drew disjointed and disconnected; faded from the public eye.

They would happily to live out their lives in peace and quiet, but occasionally a bot would end up on the news. Yesterday was Mudflap and Skids; wrong place, wrong time. They end up being chained down and humiliated; before taking a sludge hammer to the chest; their mass shifted chests. Their Sparks extinguished in mere seconds.

There was no retaliation from the bots. The human numbers were too great to attack. Now the Autobots are but a fraction of their old form. Leaderless and solitary; all but a select few chose to live out their long lives wearing Pretender teck.

A tall, broad man stood atop a slight hill looking down the gravel dirt road shrouded by tall green pines. He was easily seven feet tall, and his broad shoulders were an appealing match to his height. His black hair hung messily and grew long on his scalp. It looked like it once had been a military cut, but had long since grown out, falling shaggy past his ears. His checks were high and pronounced, and he had jaw a like an axe blade. His dark blue jeans and a white t-shirt clung to his skin, tanned golden from the sun. Thick cored muscles stood out strong on every part of his body; a warrior to the letter. His eyes glowed a soft blue, yet were the gentle hue of a storm.

The small valley led down to a large plain long deep red log house. It was two stories high, elevated a floor above the ground for when the snow came and covered the land. The front door had a dark red stair case leading up to a smooth deep red door; a tiny Autobot shield carved into the door frame in the left corner. To the right of this house was a black Ford pickup.

This valley had three acres of fenced off land; one with a hand full of horses and cows. Two of fields he rotated his live stock, in the other was a planting plot. Swaying in the breeze was the remnants of the years hay harvest as it swished back and forth. Connected to the closest field to the house was a fenced, wooded area.

There were three smaller pens; one rectangle, which held five pigs; one circular no more than twenty meters across; and finally, one last pen twenty meters across one way, and fifteen the other, connecting the two others. It had two doors; one no more than a meter across mounted into the fence, the other was three meters across and was two metal gates that overlapped and chained together in the centre. This pen was closest to the house.

A large long barn with a few bales hey on one side of its massive interior was nearby; the other side held a long, empty area with side rooms. The man would herd his live stock there when the snow came. This barn was placed between this main field and his wood enclosed pens, and was long and connected the two areas.

Across from the pens; between them and the garden, was a large dark green ply wood shed. Within was several sets of horse tack and horse sweets, brushes and other bits and pieces that needed to remain dry. Pressed against on corner of the small shed was a large white bag of grain for the pigs and for a treat for the horses.

Behind the house was a large garden, filled will all types of vegetables in neat rows, though in the fall it was largely empty; a high wooden fence formed its borders.

The house's porch lead down into the garden and a gravel path followed it down from the lane. There was also small orchard where apples and oranges dominated the trees. In the summer, these trees would supply him with apples and oranges that he would save for the year and occasionally sell. In the far left corner of this garden was a small chicken coop with five chickens. During the summer they would be release to eat any bugs in the garden.

There were four dug outs. One, large and to the far left side of the front door, supplied water for the house, a small stream feeding it constantly, save in the winter and summer. Another collected behind the house and acted as a lagoon. The last two acted as run off for the main dug out; one next to the garden, and the last in the corner of his major cattle field. Around the edges of the dugout grew a few patches of cat tails, though he pulled most of them up. The other farms envied his naturally clear water.

There was a long dirt road that ringed around the main way, up to the house and to a work shop twenty meters down the ring. It was twenty meters high and all made out of aluminum, white sides with an acute aluminum green roof. Large, green wooden doors set on rails protected the interior from the elements.

Within this workshop there was two long tables with tool racks on the walls, tools of every time were all organized on the walls. Parked perfectly in the centre was a large multipurpose red tracker the ground was coated smoothly with cement. There was a much smaller storage space connected to the side in which he stored his bailer.

Around this whole property were tall pine and maple trees, sheltering it from the outside world. They reached high up into the sky, swaying in the cool breeze.

The man stirred at the sound of a distant car coming up the lain, and started to walk back to the house. With long strides and the gravel crackling under his brown leather boots, he walked around to his home and rested his back against the maroon hand rail. He crossed his arms over his chest as is stormy glaze watched the road.

As he brooded, a large golden dog came and stood beside the man, it stood at the man's hip. The man reached down and scratched the massive Great Dane cross an ear.

"Just an old friend, Titus," his deep smooth baritone calmed the large tawny dog. He'd bought Titus as a pup, and the fluff head had stuck like glue to him ever since.

Slowly, a simple silver Ford rolled up the drive way, jerking mildly over the uneven ground. It pulled up beside his black Ford. A tall man exited the vehicle; only six feet tall with long blond hair just reaching his shoulders. His face had a forward brow and foggy green eyes filled with wisdom also held a soft blue glow. A few sparse wrinkles showed around the corner of his eyes. The blond was not built as thickly as the man, but held the same grace in his movement.

The man's hands were long and delicate, but strong from many hours of work. The raven mans hands were very different; large, long and very strong, callused with hours of hard work in his fields and with his animals. The new arrival's skin tone was a pale white from spending too much time inside, and as he looked at the tall black haired man, his lips were pursed into a frown.

"You know the others are still asking after you, wondering where you are. One day I might just tell them."

"Hello, old friend." The black haired man smiled slightly and offered his hand; that was the way these meetings usually started.

"Hello, Orion." The blond firmly took and shook the proffered hand.

"Ratchet," Orion smiled a bit more.

Ratchet looked around. "You've done well here. Really made a home for yourself. If I told the others what you have been doing, they probably wouldn't believe me; Optimus Prime, farmer."

Orion smiled. "There is something calming about this life. I don't miss the old." He paused and heaved a sigh, "The others don't need me anymore, and I enjoy being able to choose how I spend my life."

"I know, Orion." Ratchet reached over and scratched Titus' chin, before looking around again; watching the hay sway in the soft breeze, "And I can see the appeal of this place."

"Would you like some tea?" Orion gestured to the house.

"That would be lovely, Orion."

The two made their way into the lodge house, it had only four major rooms all only a few meters across, along with a porch and deck. The porch was small, only three meters by three. It housed a washer and drier along with a closet for coats and boots. It opened up into a long haul that led down into the kitchen, on the right a few steps down the hall was his bedroom.

The next room down the hall was a simple pristine bathroom; a step or two down was a kitchen. It was the biggest room; fully equipped and electric. White counters were kept sparking clean with cupboards mounted on the walls. A fridge sat on the near wall and a table under another window looking out onto a red deck over the garden. Next to the table was a wood door leading out onto the deck and across from this door was a stair case leading down from the kitchen into the base level where Orion had a generator and hot water tank.

The wall that separated the kitchen from the living room had a large rectangle cut out to give an unfettered view to the room. Like the rest of the house, the living room had wood panel flooring. There was a television sitting on a large wood box that was built into the side of the house and could be opened from outside. Like all of the wood appliances in the home, it was made out of plain gold wood. To the left of the wood box was a wood burning stove that heated the house; to the right was a collection of movies and a basic sound system, speakers mounted to the walls on either side of a black leather couch in on far corner of the living room was a black arm chair next to another pale wood desk with a lamp and books neatly stacked under yet another window, though this one spanned the whole wall and looked out into the forest. To the left of the living room was his study had a desk with a compute a large black leather chair and other desk under a large window looking out into his fields.

Orion led the way into his home. He hooked the back of his golden leather boots with the heel of the other and set them in the door-less closet, neat and straight under his winter coat. Above his coat a shelf stored all his hats and winter gear.

Ratchet looked over all the human things. "You've settled nicely into all of this, haven't you?"

Orion smiled and let Titus in, the huge dog strolling further into the house. Orion nodded at his fully stocked closet. "This form is not so bad, and I don't mind having to dress for the weather."

Ratchet set his sneakers by the door and Optimus lead the way deeper into the house. The blond observed the simple paintings of increasing skill along the walls; often of horses or his friend's forests and the stars.

When they entered the kitchen, Orion set about putting on the kettle and pulled four chocolate cookies out of a clay cookie jar with a 'Who's stolen the cookies' written in sharp, straight letters on the side. He fetched two plates from the cupboard two doors over and set the cookies on the small plates and placed them on the table.

Ratchet took a bite out of one his cookies and smiled. "Picked up many hobbies, haven't you? Painting, baking and somehow you have a beautiful farm, too."

Orion relaxed into his padded wooden chair. "I find spending a few hours on everything gives me ample time to do everything." He nibbled on a cookie. "How is everyone?"

Ratchet sighed. "Sideswipe and Sunstreaker have gotten jobs as animators in the US, Ironhide has stayed closure and is working in a repair shop, Arcee and Bulkhead are getting married in come summer and he is working in construction again as an engineer with Wheeljack. Arcee is instructor at the local dojo, Bumblebee learning wood working and will end up being a carpenter. Jazz moved to LA and is working at a dance club as a DJ."

Orion moved and pulled two white mugs from the farthest cupboard. One saying, 'Never piss off the Medic' in Team Fortress two orange, the other stating 'Meet heavy weapons guy.' He pulled two English breakfast tea bags from the cupboard nearest the stove, popping them in the cups, and then pouring hot water into both, "And Ultra Magnus?"

He pulled the sugar pot away from the wall and pulled open the drawer next to the stove and fished out a spoon. Doling out two sugars into each cup before stirring, he turned and fetched milk from the fridge. He then removed the tea bags, dropping them in the sink and taking the tea to the table and handing it to Ratchet.

"He is in the running for Mayor of our little town. If you ever watched the news, you would know this." He dipped a cookie in the golden brown tea.

"Don't have time." Orion smirked and took a sip. "It's nice to see everyone is getting on with their lives. What about you old friend? How is life working at the hospital treating you?"

"Same as always," He took a sip of his tea and smiled; Orion really had become magnificent in the kitchen.

"Meet anyone of interest?"

Ratchet looked up from his cup. "Just because we look human, doesn't mean we are."

"Does not stop Wheeljack."

"He only looks for one night stands. I want something more lasting, and with our life spans the same as ever, I won't find it in a human." Ratchet said flatly.

"What if you fell in love?"

"Unlikely, and that would be different." He took another sip. "What about you? You're turning into a hermit!"

Orion huffed "I am not."

"When was the last time you went into town?"

"About a week."

"See."

"I don't need to go more often than that."

"Orion."

"I get most of what I need from here."

"Don't lecture me on looking for a mate then if you aren't." Ratchet took a big bite out of his last cookie.

"Alright, I will give you this one." Orion finished his cookie and took a long drink from his tea.

"Though, now that we are on the topic, you should look for some companionship. You must get lonely out here."

Orion smiled as Titus came and sat by his feet. "It's not so bad, and the quiet is pleasant."

"Still, you must miss female company, or any company for that matter." Ratchet finished his cooling tea.

"You come by once a week. I'm not completely alone out here." Orion did the same and scratched Titus's head as the big dog lifted it and set the heavy thing on his lap. As if to say 'I'm here, don't you love me?'

Ratchet laughed at the big cuddly dog. "So I see."

"Would you like to go for a ride?" Orion offered.

Ratchet grinned, "Sure. That is one thing I don't mind about being human; horseback riding is very enjoyable."

The two put there mugs by the sink and headed out, Titus following his master as they set out for the main field, stopping first at the green shed for horse blankets, brushes and tack. They set the gear outside the shed and walked to the field. Ratchet lifted this voice.

"Kethtaz!"

Kethaz was large in part, Ratchet's horse. He helped Orion pull him from his mother, Marli, and bonded to the black colt not long after, and the colt in turn grew attached to him. If Orion and himself hadn't been there, Marli would have died trying to birth him, since she had been very weak after the birth. Orion spent a week with her force feeding her moist mulched wheat till she regained her strength. During which time Ratchet had to take care of a new, wobbly colt. Orion showed him how to make the horse milk from a formula, but it was up to Ratchet to feed it to the tiny black foal. Eventually they both worked it out. It was Ratchet that first touched Kethaz, pulled the wet slimy membrane from him, rumbled him dry and watched him as Orion nursed Marli back to health. The two had been thick as thieves ever since.

Orion whistle a long tune, the pair could hear twin hoof beats as their horses came running. A large elderly grayed stallion raced towards Orion. Talat was Orion's horse. Sure, he had a small herd, but Talat was his companion. He had been out to slaughter one of his cows when another farmer's trailer pulled up at the slaughter house. The human pulled a fierce and firey Talat from his trailer, Talat was fine black stallion at the time. His previous owner had died of old age and Talat refused to work with anyone else. He had kicked and thrashed against his restraints and someone had messed up somewhere as the huge stallion broke free.

Orion, still a man of action, leaped into the fray and managed to grab the rope of Talat's halter. Quickly pulling the rope behind him and under his butt, he fought for control. Talat met seven feet of tall broad Cybertronian strength and muscle. Even if it was hiding in a human skin, it still was there. The other farmers still told stories about the wide look in Talat's eye as he stared down Orion. The following battle of wills was long and tedious; in the end both were exhausted and Orion bought Talat off the farmer and took him home, setting him loose in his fields.

Orion let him have a few days to himself but eventually started to corral Talat, with a new halter in hand. This chasing went on for days; while Talat was a horse, as Orion will conform, he is a damn cleaver, prideful horse. Orion even tried to lasso him once, but ended up being dragged across the field. Eventually, Orion stayed up for a whole day and night chasing Talat. When they were both exhausted beyond measure, Orion put the new halter on Talat and walked him back to his corral. He discarded the old halter on the rail of his house and fell asleep on his sofa not even making it too his bed.

He awoke to the sound of whinnying; the damn horse was going to steal his sleep, too. After a very simple breakfast, Orion walked out to his corral and hopped inside; only to have Talat charge and leap back out again. The two glared at each other, after a few long moments, Orion stripped and assumed his Cybertronian form; then stepped back into the pen, daring Talat to charge at him now. Slowly he approached the wild horse. Talat warily started walking to the side; he was cautious of this new being. Again they danced . . . for days. It came to the point where Orion would sit under a tree in the corner of the corral with a book and a boxed lunch and just read.

One day three weeks after bringing Talat home, Orion sat under tree with a book on gardening. "You'd think that putting plants in the ground and making them grow would be an easy thing." He took a big bite out of an apple. "Not so."

Talat lipped uninterestedly at a piece of glass as he kept an eye on the Cybertronian.

"I have been told that gardening is horrible for your back." He took another bite of the apple. "So if I'm going to start gardening I'm going to need something to work out my back afterwards." He reached out and placed the apple as far away from him as he could. "Now if someone would tell me what that might be."

Thud, thud, thud, thud.

The apple was gone.

The next day Orion came back with is book and two apples. As he stepped into the pen, Talat backed away with his ears flat to his skull. Orion ignored him and sat back under the tree and pretended to read is book again. Talat moseyed over to a bit of grass by a stream that ran through the fair side of the pen, it was run off from the main dug out but had grown into a fully fledged stream. In the summer time Orion would block off the source from his main dug out when the rain and runoff from the mountains seceded to fill it. But now in early fall, he would let it run free.

Over time Talat would come closer and closer when he thought Orion wasn't looking. By noon Orion reached out with his spare apple and set it far away from him again.

Thud, thud, thud, thud, chop.

When Orion looked up from his book the apple had disappeared, but this time Talat stayed close. Orion lifted his gaze from his book. He set this right hand down where he had placed the apple and went back to his book. Eventually he felt warm air blown over his palm and had his fingers lipped at.

Talat had decided that this stubborn human was worth his time and to give him a try. Gently he pressed his nose into Orion's palm.

Orion set down his book and rubbed Talat's nose with his thumb. Then Talat being Talat decided that they had made enough progress for that day and walked off to the steam. Orion laughed and picked himself up, dusted off and went to find other things to do. No point in pushing his luck.

The next day Orion came with two apples and a number of brushes. He held the apple out on his palm and a brush in the other. Talat slowly came over head low and then snatched the apple out of Orions hand then nibbled on it, setting it on the ground. Orion ran his now empty had over Talat's mane and started to brush the massive horse. As he worked, Talat finished his apple and his was still too much on his dignity to admit how thoroughly he enjoyed being groomed; but his ears had a tendency to lop over, his eyes glaze and half shut, and his lips twitched, when Orion rubbed the brushes over him.

A storm of black hair flew around Orion as it had been a very long time since Talat had this kind of attention. So Orion established a routine. In the mornings he would come with an apple and a brush, Groom Talat, and watch his proud face twitch and his ears flop over. Then he'd leave for the day and return before bed and repeat the process all over again. (It was also around this time when Orion went and bought several apple trees.)

One day Orion came without an apple and Talat came over and awaited his brushing, when Orion had finished he set the brush down and ran his hands over Talat's body down his legs he lifted each hoof and cleaned the cut Talat's nails. Talat stood still for the whole long processes, in a rare show of tolerance. At the end of it Orion produced a small apple from his pocket and Talat ate it out of his hand as Orion stroked his long head and jaw.

The next day Orion took the massive horses measurements and went to town and set about buying a saddle for Talat. He end up with a large dark red western cut saddle with raised black designs, the owner of the store was so pleased to get rid of the heavy thing that he threw in saddle bags and a matching set of reins for free. He also purchased a large dark red almost black horse blanket and just for nostalgia's sake sewed a Autobot symbol into one corner, so that Talat would wear it too. Later that day he took the whole tack out to the corral and set it on the ground.

Talat sniffed it all over slowly at first then with enthusiasm; ended up bouncing on his feet as Orion tacked him up to the point where Orion had to thump him on the shoulder and tell him to behave. Talat's old master rode him frequently; he missed carrying someone upon his mighty back. Sure this new man was different but it was a good different.

That day Orion rode him around the corral many times and added riding to the routine. Soon they were at the point where Orion trusted Talat enough to turn him out with this cattle in his main field again. (While keeping Marli and Rooka in a separate field) Talat learned when Orion whistled a particular tune to come. By this time it had been six months since Orion brought Talat home; come fall Orion warily introduced Talat to the golden Rooka and the desired effect was born ten months later. Then the following year he introduced Marli to Talet and Kethaz was the result. Talat's two foals were bright eyed and bouncy from the first. Rooka's foal was golden like her mother but with black dimples and black tipped ears. She was named Kala and had a lighter build then Talat but retained his cunning, but thankfully not his pride. Kethaz grew to be the spitting image of his father but again a little smaller.

Occasionally the other farms would come by to buy Orion's pigs and were shocked by Talat and his fine tempered, beautiful foals. There were many offers to buy the two, but Orion turned them all down; he couldn't bear to separate his little family and Ratchet would probably never speak to him again if he sold off Kethaz.

Orion stepped away from the fence as Talat came charging forward, stopping just before Orion kicking up dirt and pressing his nose into Orion's belly. Orion smiled and stroked Talat's cheek.

Ratchet muttered something along the lines of. "Show off," As Kethaz greeted him with a whinny.

The pair walked back to the shed with their horses in toe and made short work of saddling up and mounting; before heading back to the main field and letting their horses run. Ratchet couldn't help but grin as the wild swept through his ears, Orion racing on beside him.

They tore across the long fields in one great gallop, Talat just out pacing Kethaz by just a few steps. His pride wouldn't allow any foal of his to beat him in a race; it also helped that Orion was a more experienced rider then Ratchet. The two fell back to a lazy canter and did a loop around each other before settled down to a walk; side by side.

"I missed that." Ratchet leaned forward and rubbed Kethaz's neck; Kethaz's black coat slick with sweat.

Orion laughed. "As did I, perhaps you can be convinced to come out for often for it."

"You know I can't, Orion." Ratchet sad solemnly.

"I know, I have to check the fence, do you mind taking the long way back." Orion pointed to the barb wire fence around the perimeter of the field.

"Not at all."

The two chatted as they rode around the field; Orion occasionally dismounting to carefully fix out of place fencing. The sun was low in the sky by the time they made it back to the house and set Talat and Kethaz back out in the fields.

"Would you like to stay for dinner Ratchet?"

"Sure I have no where I need to be."

The pair made a spaghetti and talked late into the night, the sun had set in the fall night sky by the time Ratchet headed home.

Orion had a shower then headed to his room. His room was small; just large enough for his king size bed pushed up against one wall with a closet on one side of the door way and a dresser on the far wall with a widow between the two. There was a long rug at the side of his bed as the head and the foot was pressed up against the wall. Two fluffy feather pillows sat plumply at the end in soft grass green cases, a large duvet also feathers in the same colour cover covered the bed making it look warm and inviting. Next to the head of the bed was a side table with a white lamp on it; above it rested a large dream catcher, it was half a meter in width with red and blue as primary colours, a beautiful design woven through the centre; long tassels with beads and feathers fell down from it. Orion slipped under the covers and settled down for sleep as Titus came and sat on the rug; Orion reached down and stroked Titus' nose. The golden dog huffed happy before falling asleep; Orion soon followed suit.

**So as I'm sure you noticed I only used the name Optimus once, this is a very much what happened after story. I was very sad that they killed Op, so to show that wasn't necessary I in a way bumped him back to Orion. He still is Optimus, but the Autobots don't need him anymore so he is making a life of his own. And if you have read any of my other stuff you know I am going to introduce a girl, this will centered around Orion, but remember my vow "I will never make a flat OC" I do have a plan for her, but any ideas or wants are welcome. So what did you think? To slow, boring, nice? To much imagery, not enough? Anything and everything would be appreciated; the little box below pretty please.**


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